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| A STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES-ZAMBOANGA CITY CHAPTER ON THE RECENT KILLINGS OF MEDIA PRACTIONERS IN MINDANAO. |
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| Monday, 12 October 2009 07:23 |
 LAST February 23, another colleague in media, Ernesto Rollin, a broadcaster of Radio Station DXSY - Times Broadcasting Network, in Ozamis City, was brutally shot and killed by two masked men in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental province. Since then or in the past two weeks alone, one other - Ronaldo Doong, a block-time broadcaster – was attacked by two armed men while traveling along the highway in Colorado village in Digos City. A third colleague, Badrodin Abas, a block timer broadcaster of DxCM in Cotabato City and the secretary general of the United Bangsamoro Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), was shot dead last January 21 by again two cowardly armed men riding a motorcycle while he was driving in Cotabato City. Ernie Rollin was the 99th journalist killed since 1986, when democracy was supposed to have been restored in the Philippines; he was the 63rd mediaman killed during this incumbent human-rights and extra-judicial killings plagued regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. These mediamen are only a few among the numberless and many other Filipino men and women who had dared to work for truth and social justice who were gunned down in recent years. Most of their cases are naturally unsolved, since the rule of law is on the brink of anarchy and collapse in this nation. The continuing litany of news about summary killings throughout the country only means that not only mediamen but ordinary citizens are in constant danger of pre-meditated, undeserved and sudden murder and death. We, members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Zamboanga City Chapter, can only but, of course, join in the condemnation of these recent acts of violence against our colleagues and deadly aggression against the human and civil rights of Filipino journalists and citizens. We are not hopeful that such appeals, among the so many in the past, will move our callous and deaf authorities to take serious and appropriate action to solve these killings and give justice to the victims, their families and to the society to whom they dedicated their work and to whom they belonged. Yet, we can only try, and we continue to hope. Stop killing journalists! Stop killing innocent Filipinos! NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES- ZAMBOANGA CITY CHAPTER March 2, 2009 |